VOA慢速英语2015 伊朗称必须取消制裁才会签署核协议

Iran Ties Nuclear Deal to Ending Sanctions 伊朗称必须取消制裁才会签署核协议

Iran’s highest leader has demanded that international economic sanctions against his country end as soon as a final agreement is reached on Iran's nuclear development program.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke¹ on Iranian television Thursday. He said that a framework agreement with the West does not guarantee a completed deal will be reached. Mr. Khamenei also said he is “neither for nor against” the agreement reached last week by Iran and six world powers. He said that deal is non-binding.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made similar comments earlier in the day. The president said Iran would not accept any final deal unless all international sanctions were cancelled.

Witness in South Carolina shooting identified

The witness who recorded a deadly police shooting in the U.S. state of South Carolina last week has been identified.

Feidin Santana took the wireless² telephone video of a white police officer shooting an unarmed black man. Mr. Santana said he had at first considered removing the video from his phone. He told NBC News that the police officer, in his words, “had control of the situation.” He also said the officer used an electronic stun³ gun on the man, Walter Scott.

?The police officer, Michael Slager, first said that Mr. Scott took the electronic stun gun during a fight. However, the video shows a different version of events. Mr. Slager had pulled Mr. Scott over for a minor⁴ traffic violation⁵.

Mr. Santana began recording⁶ the incident when the 50-year-old Walter Scott began running away from the police officer. The officer aimed his gun and fired eight shots at Mr. Scott. He fell about 9 meters away from the officer.  Mr. Santana said he gave the video over to Scott's family after reading the police's version of the events in the news.

On Tuesday, officials charged Michael Slager with murder.

Greece repays $495 million to International Monetary⁷ Fund

Greece has made a debt repayment⁸ of $495 million to the International Monetary Fund. The payment will help Greece move closer to a final international assistance deal. It will also help Greece stay in the Eurozone currency group.

Finance ministers of eurozone countries agreed earlier this year to extend a loan program to Greece.  But they required that Greece present an effective plan for economic reforms.

Since 2010, the European Union and the IMF have provided Greece with more than 270 billion dollars in loans. In exchange, the country had to established austerity measures and major economic reforms.

Words in This Story 

framework – n. the basic structure of something

sanctions – n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country, by not allowing economic aid for that country, etc.

non-binding – adj. not officially requiring that you do something: not able to be enforced by law

austerity – n. a situation in which there is not much money and it is spent only on things that are necessary

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 wireless   

adj.无线的；n.无线电

参考例句：

• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio.收音机里有许多无线电线路。
• Wireless messages tell us that the ship was sinking.无线电报告知我们那艘船正在下沉。

3 stun   

vt.打昏，使昏迷，使震惊，使惊叹

参考例句：

• When they told me she had gone missing I was totally stunned.他们告诉我她不见了时，我当时完全惊呆了。
• Sam stood his ground and got a blow that stunned him.萨姆站在原地，被一下打昏了。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 violation   

n.违反(行为)，违背(行为)，侵犯

参考例句：

• He roared that was a violation of the rules.他大声说，那是违反规则的。
• He was fined 200 dollars for violation of traffic regulation.他因违反交通规则被罚款200美元。

6 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

7 monetary   

adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的

参考例句：

• The monetary system of some countries used to be based on gold.过去有些国家的货币制度是金本位制的。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

8 repayment   

n.偿还，偿还款；报酬

参考例句：

• I am entitled to a repayment for the damaged goods.我有权利索取货物损坏赔偿金。
• The tax authorities have been harrying her for repayment.税务局一直在催她补交税款。